Upcoming community events (posted Oct. 5)

Are you a family, friend, or neighbor that regularly cares for someone else’s children while they are working or job searching? If so, you are invited to attend free CPR/First Aid classes and SIDS/Shaken Baby classes in October or November. Classes will be held in Pine City, Mora, Milaca, North Branch, and Cambridge.

Call Erinn (Child Care Resource & Referral) at 320-629-5141 or e-mail at [email protected] to register and get dates.

Food distribution

Ruby’s Pantry food distribution is held the second Saturday of the Month at 39404 Grand Ave. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and distribution starts at 10 a.m. and ends approximately at 11:30 a.m. They request a $15 donation.

North Branch Farmers’ Market

North Branch Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays July through October, 8 a.m. to noon at the Lake State Federal Credit Union parking lot on 8th ave & Main St. Call 651-674-7624 for more information.

Overeaters Anonymous

Overeaters Anonymous meetings held every Friday at 10 a.m. at the United Methodist Church fellowship hall, 5459 E. Viking Blvd., Wyoming. No dues, fees, or weigh-ins. Call Anne at 651-674-1729.

New options in OB-Gyn surgery

Are “female problems” making your life miserable? If you’re putting off seeing a doctor or having surgery because of fear of pain or length of recovery time, this talk may help you explore your options.

Bring a friend and bring your questions. Preregistration is not necessary. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call Carla Norelius, 651-257-8806.

Rush City Garden Club

Oktoberfest is being held Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park in Rush City. The Rush City Garden Club will have homegrown vegetables, painted pumpkins and gourds, dried flower bouquets, homemade chili, cookies and coffee for sale. If anyone would like to set up a table to sells crafts or other goods, please call Lil Wegleitner at 358-3378.

Parenting Plus meets Oct. 9

All grandparents/kinship caregivers who are raising grandchildren/relative’s children are invited to a support group meeting. Join them Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in Room #110 at Pine City Elementary School. Enter door #5 by Dragonwood Playground.

Free child care. Please call (320) 629-4030 for more information and to register for child care.

Explorer and author to speak on Oct. 9

Explorer and author Tyler Fish will talk about his expedition to the North Pole at the next Wild River Audubon meeting at the Chisago Lakes Area Library. He will also sign copies of his book, “Forward.” Wild River Audubon meets from 7-9 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month. The library is located at 11754 302nd Street in Chisago City. The public is welcome to attend.

NB Legion Auxiliary

The North Branch American Legion Auxiliary will meet Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Legion Hall. Auxiliary President bobbie Elmstrand says “See you there.”

Card time

Almelund seniors will meet at the Amador Town Hall Friday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come enjoy cards and social time.

Annual Swedish Smorgasbord

Should you be a bit Swedish, make plans now for the third annual authentic Svenska Smorgasbord, to be held Oct. 23, in Center City. A delightful array of ethnic delicacies will again be served continuously 5 to 7 p.m. at the Swedish Mall Restaurant’s “Party Room.”

Under the capable supervision of Chef “Sven” Morrison, long serving tables will be laden with traditional foods such as inlagd sill, prinskorv, buna bönor, kukta rödbetassallad, kalltskiva skinka, inlagd gurka — well, you get the idea. The Center City Historical Society sponsors the annual event. The $20 tickets (that includes beverage, tax and gratuity) will only be available for purchase at the door.

Please mark the date on your calendar and Välkommen!

Image art show

The Kanabec County Art Association invites the public to view the 26th annual IMAGE Art Show, a celebration of art and artists from the five counties of Kanabec, MilleLac, Isanti, Pine and Chisago. Beside visual art entries, this year’s show will also include prose/poetry entries. The opening reception will be Friday evening Oct. 19 at the Ogilvie High School Commons in Ogilvie. The show is open to the public 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. that evening. On Saturday, Oct. 20, the show is open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 21, the show is open to the public noon to 4 p.m. For more information, go to the Kanabec County Art Association website kcaamn.org or call Dee Kotaska at 320-679-0524. This activity is made possible in part by The McKnight Foundation and also by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

The East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) is a new independent 501c3 non-profit started on July 1, 2011, by the former members of the East Central Arts Council (ECAC) Advisory Committee to the East Central Regional Development Commission. It is one of eleven Regional Arts Councils designated by the Minnesota State Legislature. ECRAC serves the five county area of Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine Counties.

ECRAC’s purpose is to promote and encourage all of the arts in East Central Minnesota. ECRAC does this by funding grant proposals from area arts and community organizations, schools, governmental units, and individuals.

Programs of the ECRAC will be very similar to the former ECAC and will include grant funding for individuals and groups for art projects, technical assistance to grantees and others interested in the arts, and the Essential Arts e-newsletter. ECRAC will also work to identify economic and community development links in the region, and will provide information, assistance and referrals on arts issues.

Adventure speaker

On a perfect day in March, 2009, with the temperature hovering near -40 degrees Fahrenheit, John Huston and Tyler Fish stepped off the North American continent and onto the frozen, jumbled surface of the Arctic Ocean. The two seasoned adventurers had their sights set on one goal: to travel under their own power to the North Pole without resupply. If they succeeded, they’d be the first Americans to do so.

“Forward” is their story. Over a period of nearly two months, John and Tyler skied more than 500 miles, hauling sleds that contained everything they needed to survive. They maneuvered their 300-pound loads through punishing rubble fields and swam across stretches of open water. To fuel their bodies and fight back the cold, each consumed more than 7,000 calories per day, downing deep-fried bacon, chunks of butter, and fat-laden pemmican stew.

Please join us as we welcome Tyler Fish at the Chisago Lakes Area Library Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

The event is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and in partnership with the Chisago Lakes Friends of the Library, Wild River Audubon Society and Chisago City Parks & Recreation.